The Evil Lurking in the Darkness
by NemKess
Summary: After an unexplained suicide, Heero must stop the nightmare from spreading.
1. Relena's Nightmare

Relena ran thru the garden

The Evil Lurking in The Darkness  
Prologue: Relena's Nightmare  
written by NemKess

Relena ran thru the garden, her white nightgown fluttering behind her. She was too frightened to pay heed to the ground beneath her and tripped over an uneven patch.

A pained grunt was the only sound she allowed herself as her exposed knees came in contact with the pebble strewn pathway. Silence. It was important that she stay as quiet as possible. 

The thing was after her again. For over a month now it had haunted her dreams and last week, it had moved into her waking hours as well. She'd tried to tell Heero, but he'd brushed it off as her overactive imagination. Even Milliardo and Noin had basically ignored her pleas. No one believed her. Sally had even given her a sedative to help her sleep. 

They didn't understand. No one did. 

Last night the creature had taken advantage of her inability to fight, to run. It had sat next to her bed, stroking her hair and telling her -in that chillingly alien voice it had- just how it was going to enjoy hunting her down and taking her life. How it would then move on and kill everyone that gave mankind hope.

She'd had to lay there and listen to every horrid word, feel every sickening caress, unable to do more than shed silent tears. 

She didn't understand what it wanted. It wasn't like the enemies she'd faced in the past. 

This thing was evil; plain and simple. It didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason for its actions. It just enjoyed the chaos and fear that was left in its wake.

Why had it decided to haunt her?

She didn't know and at the moment, she didn't care. The only thing she was focused on was escape. She had to escape this monster.

She wasn't insane, she hadn't lost her grip on reality. She was just scared witless.

Her feet skidded a bit as she came abruptly onto the edge of the cliff that served as the rear border of the garden. Gazing downwards, she gasped for breath and contemplated her choices. She could hear the monster's footsteps approaching. In minutes it would be upon her. 

A monster behind, a sheer drop ahead.

It really wasn't much of a contest. 

Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer, whispered for Heero one last time, and stepped off into the oblivion below.


	2. Guilt and Ghosts

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness Chapter 1

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness  
Chapter 1: Guilt and Ghosts  
written by NemKess

There were only a handful of times since the war that Heero Yuy hadn't felt in control of his own life. Without the constant threat of war and the constant killing, he'd managed to move on with his life and make it his own. He'd dealt with the guilt and pain that had come with his part in the deaths of so many innocents and even those who hadn't been so innocent and had accepted what could not be changed. Move forward, don't look back. 

He'd made a vow that night in Brussels. He'd never kill again. He'd taken that to heart and even when he'd began work as a Preventer, he'd never taken a life. 

Until now.

Duo and the others could prattle on all they wanted about how it wasn't his fault. About how her own instability had done it, but inside, he knew. The truth may be ugly and brutal, but it was still truth.

Relena was dead because he'd ignored her fear and it was as simple as that. It didn't matter whether or not she had been hallucinating or having a nightmare or even if she really had become mentally unstable as Sally believed. Her 'monster' had been very real in her own mind and he should have taken that into account. He vaguely remembered reading that someone had once said 'we have nothing to fear but fear itself'. However, fear in and of itself was a powerful motivator. 

Fear had driven one of the strongest people he'd ever known to take a nose dive off a cliff to her death just to escape it.

A single tear dripped down his cheek as he tossed a pebble off said cliff. He'd examined the scene himself. No signs of a struggle, no sign that someone else had thrown her off the cliff. All evidence said she'd quite simply stepped off. Suicide, though the newspapers had been fed some story about a tragic accident.

Tragic was the only part that even came close to the truth.

"I'm sorry, Relena. I should have been here with you," his voice was hoarse. He'd been somewhat vocal when Zechs and Noin had come to tell him the news. A sardonic smile appeared briefly. More like he'd screamed every obscenity he knew at their audacity to come and tell him such lies. Relena Darlian would not commit suicide no matter how frightened she'd become over a silly nightmare. She was stronger than that.

Only she hadn't been. And he'd refused to see just how scared she was. He might as well have pushed her off himself.

He twirled his gun on his finger, staring at it. He'd come here for one purpose and it was time to get on with it.

"Don't worry Relena. I'm not that far behind you," he murmured. 

"You know, as flattering as the sentiment is, you really have things that you need to do first." A chill crept around his body and Heero stiffened with shock as ghostly arms wrapped around his torso.

Spinning around, he confirmed with his eyes what his ears had told him.

He managed to choke out one word before darkness overtook him. "Relena..."

TBC  



	3. Untitled

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness Chapter 2

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness  
Chapter 2: Untitled  
written by NemKess

Heero awoke slowly, fighting the urge to shiver in the nighttime chill. Damn, what a dream.

His body went rigid as the breeze seemed to caress his hair, smoothing it back from his face. There was a fuzzy moment as his mind registered the fact that, though most of his body was still in contact with the pebble strewn ground, his shoulders and head were pillowed against something. Something very soft and cool.

Dark blue eyes flew open and met the soft blue that hovered above him.

"It's about time you woke up, silly. I was afraid you stay unconscious until you caught a cold since I can't exactly go tell someone to come out and get you."

It was almost more than his poor grief stricken mind could grasp. Not only was he looking at Relena- who was **very** dead, he'd been the last to leave the graveyard after they'd buried her that afternoon- more importantly, he was looking **through** said dead woman. It only took a moment for Heero to scuttle away from the apparition.

A hurt look crossed her features before they settled into exasperation. "Really, Heero. You certainly have nothing to fear from me." 

His own face hardened into a mask of indifference. "Relena Darlian is dead. Either this is an elaborate scheme against me, or I'm having a nightmare." His grip tightened on the gun and he swung it towards her reflexively. 

As unafraid of his gun in death as she had ever been in life, the shade rose up on her knees and crawled towards him. The touch on his cheek felt like a cool breeze; the one to his lips was more real, but still feather light and chilled.

"Does that feel like a nightmare? Or like someone out to harm you?"

His eyes closed, unable to look at her any longer. Another tear escaped despite his best efforts to contain it. "I saw the body."

"Oh Heero. I'm sorry to have brought you to this. It was never my intention to hurt you in any way."

That took the cake. A deep cleansing rage washed through him. Nightmare, imposter, or real ghost, it ceased to matter. He fixed her with his coldest look. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you committed suicide."

"What would you have rather I did, Heero? Let that monster drive me insane? Let it kill me or worse? Tell me Heero, what would you have done?"

A growl was emitted from his throat and he tried to grab her shoulders, but she seemed to dim and his hands went straight through her rather than grasp anything solid.

"You can't touch me if I don't want you to. A definite advantage of being dead, don't you think?"

"Dammit, Relena. It was just a stupid nightmare. I should have taken in account how afraid you were, but it was still just a nightmare."

The pair glared at one another for a moment before Relena let out a weary sigh and sat down next to him. Her eyes were shadowed as she stared out to sea. Another sigh, this time of resignation, escaped. "What if I can prove it wasn't a nightmare? Or a delusion?"

"And how the hell do you expect to do that?"

Tremors overtook the shade and she glanced at him for a moment before turning away again. "The night Sally drugged me, it came and told me a little of what it planned to do... Who it's next victim would be." The tremors stopped as she glared at him. "That's why I couldn't let you do anything stupid. I couldn't do anything about the monster, but you can."

"Gee, your concern for me is touching. Keep me alive long enough to slay your nightmares." He knew his voice was fairly dripping sarcasm, but he couldn't help himself. He didn't know how she expected to prove to him that she hadn't lost her mind. On the other hand, he thought with a wry grin, who was the one sitting in the Peacecraft garden talking to a dead woman? Oh well, what did he really have to lose at this point? "So, I suppose you have some sort of plan?"

The shining smile she aimed his way was contagious and he found himself returning it in spite of himself. He supposed if he was going to go crazy too, there were worse ways to go.

_It sat completely still, awaiting the darkness that had been its home for so long._

_The recent hunt had been everything it could have hoped for when it had chosen the victim. If only she hadn't chosen death as the better option. Her fear could have provided such delightful entertainment for a long time to come if she hadn't made the decision to stop being afraid._

_It did so hate the ones who did that. As sweet as that short lived fear was, it much preferred the ones who allowed themselves to be cowed, who would live in fear until it drove them insane. The ones who feared the unknown element of death more than they feared the creature._

_That was all right. Its next target had great potential._

_If it could have laughed, it would have._

_If only the creators could see it now. _

_TBC_


	4. 

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness Chapter 3

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness  
Chapter 3:  
written by NemKess 

AN: For those who commented on Heero's lack of sensitivity, it is often the reaction of friends and family who have a loved one commit suicide to feel anger and guilt. Anger that the one who committed suicide refused to see that there were things worth living for and guilt that they hadn't seen the signs and done something to stop it. As for the shortness of each part, they are getting longer with each one... 

_There was something in the darkness. She couldn't see it, couldn't hear or smell it, but she knew it was there. She could **feel **it. _

_It was looking for her. For some reason, that thought terrified her. She just didn't understand. Nothing during the war had ever made her fear like this. She'd thought nothing ever could._

_So why? _

_Drawing in a deep breath, she struggled to remain calm. In and out. In and out. Breath, and think. _

_Once she'd calmed her frazzled nerves as best as she could, she slowly moved through the pitch black night. Despite her excellent vision, she couldn't see even an inch in front of her own face and was having to feel her way along the wall. She'd never liked such pitch blackness, it just wasn't natural. There should have been moonlight at least. Maybe that was what scared her so much._

_A rasping sound came from directly in front of her causing her to halt._

_What the hell was in this darkness with her?_

_A wild animal? A criminal? Her throat constricted as the noise came again. Something... Worse?_

_She whirled around as the noise seemed to move behind her._

_"Who's there? Dammit, answer me!"_

_All was quiet again. Her hands groped for the gun she kept with her at all times, but found only emptiness. _

_"What the hell-" her thoughts were cut off by the certainty that whatever was here with her was standing right at her back. With that certainty came the evidence. First the smell. A repugnant stench, worse than anything she'd ever had the displeasure to experience before. Then the sound. That damn rasping again, only this time with the definite cadence of a creature breathing in and out. And lastly came the touch. Cold and slimy, something dripped from somewhere above her head and landed on her neck, slowly oozing down her collarbone and between her breasts, leaving a light stinging sensation in its wake._

_The world suddenly ceased to exist, if it ever had at all. The only sounds were that awful breathing and her own heart beat. The two seemed to twine and grow louder and louder until she was sure it would drive her insane. Anticipation and fear swelled inside her. _

_Please, don't let me die, she thought. I'm not ready to die._

_As if hearing her thoughts, the creature at her back gave a short rasping laugh._

_The laugh seemed to hang in the air for a moment before she felt a ripping in her chest and looked down. Somehow, there was just enough light for her to make out the dim outline of the clawed hand that was sticking out of the front of her chest- her still beating heart clutched in it's grasp._

_"_AHH!!!!!!!!!" Noin sat up screaming.

"Lucrezia?" She clapped one hand to her chest and the other over her own mouth tryin to physically restrain the screams that were bubbling up. 

A dream, she thought shuddering. It had all been a dream.

"Noin? What's wrong?" Finally managing some semblance of calmness, she turned to where Zechs had sat up and was rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.

"Nothing. It was just a bad dream, that's all." Though he gave her a worried look, he accepted her word and pulled her close. She snuggled as close to him as she could get, needing his comfort.

It had been so real. She could still feel the pain in her chest, still smell that foul smell, still hear the rasping laughter. She shuddered again and pressed closer to her husband who had fallen back to sleep. Somehow she doubted that she'd be able to close her eyes again, let alone actually go to sleep.

She did finally manage to slumber as the soft glow of sunrise began to peek through the window. Her last thought was to wonder if Relena's dreams had been anything as bad as her own.

Heero grunted in annoyance as his key jammed in the door. Damn thing. He'd been meaning to fix the lock for months now but had yet to get around to it. He wasn't in any mood to deal with sort of thing. A firm shove and the lock popped.

"Hmm. I'd have expected better locks, Heero." He ignored the apparition beside him and went to his small kitchen for a beer. He had a feeling he was going to be doing a lot of drinking in the next few weeks.

Relena just grinned at him for a moment. She knew he was still mad at her. They'd stopped at the mansion before leaving the Peacecraft estate. Having forgotten to warn him that no one else she'd tried to talk to for the last day or so hadn't even noticed her, he'd immediately gone to Zechs and Noin with her story and had spoken to her several times. The older couple had suggested that **he** see Sally for medication. By morning it would be all over Preventer Headquarters' that Heero Yuy was losing his mind.

He'd completely ignored her ever since they'd left.

"Heero, come on. It's not so bad, we can still stop it even if they don't believe you. And don't worry about anyone thinking you're crazy, that's always been a well established fact," She continued, blithely unaffected by the glare that was directed her way. After all, what could he do? Kill her again? "Besides, I'm not going away, so you might as well acknowledge me- at least while we're alone."

"Why me?"

She cocked her head and gave him a questioning look.

"Why am I the only one that can see you? Why not your brother or Peygan? Or Quatre for that matter?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. It just is. Look Heero, it's not like I'm holding a owner's manual here. I'm just sort of winging it, you know? I don't exactly have any experience with being dead."

He glared for another moment before sighing and taking a long drink. When he looked back up, she could tell he still wasn't happy, but at least he wasn't mad anymore. "Fine. Tell me exactly what happened, from when Sally gave you the sedative the other night to when I first saw you like this."

"I spit the sedative out. There was no way I was going to be forced to sit with that thing again," even though she no longer had a physical body, Relena shuddered violently at the memory. She could still feel it. "I thought about calling out for someone once I felt it again, but I knew no one believed and I'd only end up with a shot sedative that I couldn't avoid taking, so I ran. It was right behind me, Heero. I had no choice but to jump when I made it to the cliff. Anything was better than being cornered by that monster." She paused for a moment and moved to gaze out the window. "I remember that it seemed like I fell forever. I wasn't scared though. I felt... peaceful I guess. I don't remember the falling ever coming to a stop, everything just sort of goes blank there. Then I woke up back on the top of the cliff like this. I went back into the mansion, but no one paid me any attention, even when I knocked stuff over to try to make someone notice. At least, until I found you on the cliff." She turned back to him. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd actually be able to hear me. I hoped, but I didn't really have much faith."

"None of that explains why I can see and hear you," he said quietly. 

"No, it doesn't. Let's not question it. Just accept it as it is. Heero," her voice became pleading as she dropped to her knees in front of him. "Please, Heero. We have to stop it."

With a wistful look in his eyes, he lifted one hand to stroke her cheek. It wasn't fair, he thought. He'd spent so many years trying to protect her, loving her . How then, had he ended up like this? Holding a ghost? He'd always assumed that he'd be the first to die. Never once since he'd decided to protect her had it even occurred to he might fail at this, the most important mission he'd ever given himself.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice still hoarse, and his eyes blurry with unshed tears.

Her own eyes looked sad as she leaned forward and embraced him. They remained like that, even after sleep claimed him.

_Ahh.. What delicious fear. What marvelous terror. _

_The creature chuckled lightly as it retreated from its hunt. Every being, no matter how strong could be broken. For what human didn't fear it's own death?_ _ Survival instinct practically demanded a healthy dose of fear. All that was needed was the right amount of pushing in the right place before healthy instinct was replaced with raw terror, the kind it craved and reveled in above all else._

_A creature of the night had so few pleasures._

_But then, quality was always better than quantity. _

_Eerie laughter rang out as the dawn chased the darkness away as the creature settled down to await the nights hunt._

_TBC_


	5. Accidents Happen

The Evil Lurking In the Darkness Chapter 4

The Evil Lurking In the Darkness  
Chapter 4: Accidents Happen  
written by NemKess

"It's been a week Relena. We're no closer to figuring out where this thing is than we were before." He tossed a pebble off the cliff before turning back to look at the mansion. "Are you sure Noin was the next victim? So far she seems fine to me."

Relena practically growled in frustration and kicked at a rock, sighing when her foot just went through it. More concentration was required for that sort of thing and right now her mind was very definitely elsewhere. 

"I'm positive Heero. I've been there every night and I know it was there too. I can feel it every time I'm near Noin." A shudder passed over her body. Maybe it was the fact that she was dead, but Relena could practically smell the monster's vile presence on Noin. There was no doubt in her mind that the other woman was suffering from the same nightly visits that she herself had suffered through. Knowing that damn creature was after her sister-in-law was almost as nerve wracking as having it after herself. 

Heero just nodded absently as he tossed another pebble off the cliff. He sat for a moment, gazing off into nothing before nodding to himself as if he'd made some sort of decision. 

"We'll both stay here tonight. If you can actually feel this thing, maybe we can track it." A soft sigh escape and he leaned back on his elbows staring up at the sky. "You know, I have to tell you that I'm seriously starting to lean towards the theory that I'm just going crazy and that you are nothing more than a figment of my imagination." 

She plopped down to sit beside him.. Well, she would have if she'd actually had a solid body. As it was, she seemed more to float down than anything else. Laying her head against his chest, she let out her own sigh and nodded. 

"I can see where you'd get the idea, but I promise you're not imagining me. And the creature is real. I just hope we can stop it before it hurts anyone else." A calloused, yet tender hand crept up to caress her face before long fingers were buried into her hair. 

"Me too, Lena. Me too." 

Together, they watched the sun set. 

_Damn, the creature muttered to itself as it made its way away from its victim and back into the darkness it called home._

_The hunt hadn't turned out as he'd expected._

_There'd been certainly been more than enough fear and anguish. It closed its eyes and shuddered with pleasure as it remembered the sweet taste of that fear. Such wonderful fear._

_It's pleasure was cut short as the other thoughts that had rolled out from the woman filled its mind._

_Hate... Rage... Determination... Won't lose... Can't be beat by a nightmare... Won't go crazy... Beat you... Destroy you... Monster... Hideous... Die.. Die.. You stupid nightmare... Just die..._

_Its own anger had gotten the better of it, although it couldn't be entirely sure just why it had become so infuriated. These thoughts were often commonplace with its victims and usually easy to overlook, but for some reason, this had made it just plain mad. A certain amount of self control was needed to keep the victims brain going once the 'nightmare' reached a certain level. Anger wasn't exactly conducive for control._

_Oh well... It thought... Accidents will happen occasionally. Tomorrow was another night. Another night, another victim. _

Relena jumped to her feet. Something was dreadfully wrong. She could feel the monster itself rather than the aftertouch it usually left on Noin. 

When her brothers initial screams rent the air, her stomach lurched and she dropped down to her knees. I failed, she thought. She watched as Heero quickly ran in the direction of the mansion, obviously intent on finding out what was going on. She didn't need to follow to know. She could feel it. 

Instead, she went off in the direction she'd felt the creature go. The damn thing just had to be stopped. 

Nearly an hour passed as she searched the nearby forest, but as it had before, it had simply vanished. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon and she was heading back when something caught her eye. 

Walking over to a small bush just off the path, Relena found herself both gratified and horrified all at the same time. Proof, she thought numbly as she picked off the branch. He wanted proof. Though she knew that the ooze clinging to the leaves wouldn't exactly be concrete evidence for Heero, she recognized the stench. If she could talk Heero into getting Sally to analyze it, maybe they'd be a little closer to figuring out exactly what they were dealing with. 

She'd heard the wail of a siren earlier, she just hoped they had gotten there in time. 

Somehow, she doubted it. 

Sure enough, it was a grim faced Heero that greeted her quietly when she approached the mansion. With a nearly imperceptible nod of his head, he motioned for her to follow him. The pair moved away from the nervous servants that were flitting around the place and back into the garden. It took only a few minutes until they reached the cliff's edge again. 

"Noin's dead Relena," he stated gravely. 

"How?" Her voice cracked in the middle of the word and she had to clear her throat to keep from breaking down. 

"They're not sure exactly, but symptoms pointed to massive heart attack. Zechs said he woke up when she cried out in her sleep. He couldn't wake her. By the time he'd finished the calling for an ambulance, she was dead." 

Nothing more was said for a while. There seemed nothing more **to **say. Heero did the only thing he could. He held her as she cried. 

Relena wasn't sure if only minutes had passed or hours, as he held her. Eventually, she remembered the branch crushed in her fist. She was more than a little amazed that she hadn't dropped it the second she'd seen him. It took a great deal of concentration to stay solid enough to knock something over or touch him, but it took a lot more to actually hold onto something for any length of time and her mind had been blank since he'd confirmed her suspicions with that single grim look earlier. 

"Heero, would you please have Sally analyze this?" 

He stared at her face for a moment longer as if to gauge whether or not she was okay, but took the branch and nodded. 

"What is it?" 

"It's... Part of that thing. Scraped off its skin I would imagine." 

Though skeptical , he quickly schooled his features into a placid expression and nodded again. It certainly couldn't hurt anything, and she had been right about Noin after all. Thinking about his former enemy turned ally, he could only feel pity for Zechs Marquise. The man had resembled an old war veteran that had seen one too many casualties as Peygan had driven him away that morning. Heero doubted he'd be over the shell shock anytime soon. To lose both his sister and his wife within a week of one another was something he'd probably never recover from. 

Heero couldn't help feeling suddenly glad that Relena was the only real family he had. That thought in mind, he pulled her close again. Dead or alive, he just had to hold onto her. 

Quatre sighed and turned off his vidphone. His expression, when he finally turned to face Trowa, was as grim as Heero's had been that morning. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Miss Noin is dead," he continued, ignoring the slightly incredulous look his lover sent in his direction. "Apparently she had a heart attack, but Sally says that according to her records, Noin has never shown any predisposition to any known heart condition." 

"That's odd." 

"What's even more odd, is that Sally says, if she didn't know better, she'd swear Miss Noin had been literally scared to death. Something or another about brain trauma. As if the woman had a nightmare that frightened her so bad her heart just gave out." 

Trowa looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have heard that if a person dies in they're nightmare, their brain will think it's really dead and cease to function. Always thought of it as an old wives tale though." 

Quatre nodded. "I've heard the same thing. I doubt that really has anything to do with this though. I find it a strange coincidence that this comes so close to Miss Relena's suicide, don't you?" 

Before Trowa could answer, a scream was heard from the room next door. Neither really had time to react as the adjoining door between the two hotel rooms was thrown open and Catherine hurtled herself into her brother's arms. 

"Oh Trowa! I just had the most awful nightmare!" 


	6. Catherine's Mistake

The Evil Lurking in The Darkness Chapter 4

The Evil Lurking in The Darkness  
Chapter 5: Catherine's Mistake  
written by NemKess

Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft's funeral was given full military honors even though she'd been out of the Preventer's for several years. It was attended by every surviving student she'd ever had.

"We failed." Relena felt so helpless, watching her brother as he was led away from the funeral. In the three days since Noin's mysterious death, Milliardo Peacecraft had seriously deteriorated. If she'd had any doubts about Noin's being his anchor to sanity, they had all been dispelled. He was a shell of the man he had been. His sister didn't think he'd ever recover.

"Why are you whispering?" She turned to bury her head in the crook of Heero's neck and sobbed. Though the urge to hold and comfort her was overwhelming, he managed to push it back. There were simply too many people thinking he belonged in the loony bin anyways. After a few moments, she seemed to have regained some measure of control and pulled back. He was loathe to bring it up, but as he followed her away from the cemetery, he knew he had to ask. "What do we do now?"

With a shrug of her shoulders, the now silent wraith wrapped her trembling arms around her own body and shivered. Relena didn't know. She hadn't expected Noin to die, even with the nightmares. Noin had always been the pillar of strength that would never fall. Through the wars, through the political struggles, through everything- there had always been Noin, the calm voice of reason to move her back onto the right path. The only one strong enough to stand beside the dual identities of Zechs Marquise and Milliardo Peacecraft. 

What confounded Relena the most was how different Noin's death had been. She hadn't committed suicide. There was no physical sign that she'd been injured in any way. The creature had somehow killed Noin from inside the dreamscape. But why? From what Relena had been able to piece together from her experience with it, the monster craved the fear it inspired. Noin had been a long way from being driven off a cliff, so why kill her so soon?

How could this thing kill with only a nightmare? 

But more importantly, who was it's next victim? 

"Cathy?" 

The redhead jerked around to see her brother's concerned face. "Yes Trowa?" 

"Are you all right? You've been kind of tense the last few days." 

She gave a laugh that sounded forced even to her own ears. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be ok?" She'd managed to keep all but that very first nightmare hidden from him, but in the last several days she'd only gotten a few hours of sleep and it was starting to show. 

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" He raised a hand to caress her cheek. "That's what brothers are for." 

Her smile was genuine this time as she leaned over to hug him tightly. "I know. And if there was something seriously wrong I'd take you up on that offer immediately. But it's really nothing that I can't handle." 

"If you change you're mind-" 

"You'll be the first to know." Though he looked skeptical, he took her word for it. He placed a feather light kiss on her hair and turned away; he had animals to tend to. "Trowa?" she called after him. 

"Yes?" he glanced back over his shoulder. 

"I love you." Her words caused him to turn back fully, a questioning look on his face. "I just wanted to tell you that. You know, in case you forgot." 

"I love you, too, sis. Are you sure-" 

"I'm fine, Trowa. Honest. Just feeling a little sentimental is all. Go feed the lions. I have to practice for tonight's performance." She watched to make sure he'd left before she allowed her shoulders to slump and the frown to return. She hadn't had nightmares since she'd been a child. Once she'd come to terms with her family's death, she'd managed to put the bad dreams behind her and move on. 

Staring up at the moon, she wondered if it had anything to do with being back on Earth and so near where her parents had lost their lives. It was the only explanation she could think of. Sure, their circus had traveled around the Earth Sphere before, but never had they ventured near Old Spain. 

Remembering her nightmare, she shuddered. She could have done without ever stepping foot in this country again. 

_Catherine..... Catherine.... Where are you?_

_Cathy was shivering with fear from head to toe. The bad man was after her again. He'd killed her parents and now he was after her. _

_Catherine...._

_A tiny squeak of fear escaped and she clamped one hand over her mouth. Please don't let him hear me, she prayed. Mommy... Daddy... Triton... She could see their mangled bodies from her hiding place behind the wagon wheel, as well as the hulking shape of the bad man. Her frightened mind didn't even stop to think about how she could see anything considering how dark it was._

_Maybe I should make a run for it. Surely the others are close by._

_The thought had hardly crossed her mind before the shape by the fire turned around and she got a real good look at it's face._

_A scream ripped through the air. On and on it went, the terror in it evident. She barely recognized it as her own voice._

_This was no man that had come to kill her. It was one of the demons that her mother had told her stories about. The ones who came and ate bad little children._

_It was looking right at her now, it's face twisted into what was supposed to be a smile. _

_Scrambling out from under the wagon, she ran._

_And still she couldn't stop her screams._

_With a suddenness that caused her to stumble, the world went completely dark. She was alone. Alone in the darkness with a demon that wanted to eat her._

_She broke down into sobs and curled up in a fetal position. Leave me alone! She screamed into the darkness. I was a good girl! I didn't do anything wrong! I was a good girl! Mommy! I was good.. I was.. I was.. _

_A raspy chuckle filled the air right behind her shaking back. One clawed finger caressed her cheek in an eerily familiar way._

_I was a good girl, she whispered brokenly._

_Her eyes bulged as she felt a burning across her throat. Blood gurgled up and spilled from the slit in her throat. _

Catherine jerked awake suddenly. Clutching her pillow to her face, she fought to control her sobs. 

It took a moment to reorient herself to the real world she found herself in as opposed to the hell that she'd just left. After a moment, she was somewhat calmer and able to breath again. Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled her knees to her chest. 

Never in her life had a nightmare been so vivid, nor had she ever seen such a twisted version of the night her parents had died. 

With a shudder, she rose and began to dress. She needed to practice. During their performance the night before, she'd nicked Trowa. That was something she hadn't done since their earliest days of working together. If these nightmares didn't stop so she could get some sleep, she would be forced to take a vacation from her knife throwing. She didn't want to hurt Trowa just because she wasn't resting well. 

_Catherine...._

Cathy jerked around, but nothing was behind her. "I'm going to go crazy if I don't get some sleep," she muttered. 

"Did you say something, Catherine?" 

She turned back to Quatre and Trowa. "No, Quatre. I was just mumbling to myself." 

He shared a glance with her brother before they each grabbed one of her arms and bodily lifted her off the ground. They carried her all the way back to the hotel completely ignoring her protests at the treatment. 

"You're not getting adequate rest, Catherine," the blonde stated as she glared at him. "Rashid prepared you some special tea to help relax you." 

"There's no since fighting us, Cathy. He'll just call Rashid or one of the other Maguanacs to come help us." Seeing the wisdom of Trowa's advice, she finally quit struggling. 

"I can walk on my own, you know." 

"Do you promise to drink the tea and take a nap with no fuss?" She glared at him again. 

"Yes, Quatre. I'll drink your stupid tea and I'll take a stupid nap." She wasn't nearly as upset as she was acting. With luck, the tea would numb her mind enough that she didn't have a nightmare and she would be able to get the much needed rest. Lord knew she'd tried everything else in the couple of weeks since the nightly terror had began. 

An hour later, the two men left her as she slipped into an uneasy sleep. 

"Do you think it will work?" Trowa asked, pushing the hair out of his face for a moment. 

Quatre nodded. "It should. It always works for me and Rashid brewed this especially potent. She should sleep the rest of the night." With a sigh, he glanced back at the figure huddled on the bed. He hoped she would at least. Cathy might have thought she was hiding her problem well, but more than once she'd woken them both up in the middle of the night with her cries and he knew that it was starting to upset Trowa. Especially since she wouldn't even tell them what was haunting her so badly. "Well, I for one, am bushed. Watching you stand there while she throws lethal weapons at you every night is starting to wear on **my** nerves." 

Trowa chuckled at his lover and pulled him close for a hug. "Well, I'd hate to keep you up then." 

"Well, now that you mention it...." 

_Fools. The creature laughed softly as it slid into the drug induced darkness that had filled its victim's mind. Didn't they know that it did its best work when the victim couldn't rouse herself?_

_Obviously not._

Cathy twitched and moaned in her sleep as an uninvited presence filled her mind, but didn't waken. 

_Running. _

_She was running as fast as she could, but she could still hear it behind her._

_Leave me alone! she screamed into the surrounding darkness. I didn't do anything bad! _

_Her only answer was the rasping chuckle the monster gave before it appeared right in front of her. She had no way to stop her forward momentum and ran straight into it._

_NOooooo! She screamed as it lifted her up off the ground. Ignoring her, it lifted her body above its head._

_She was still screaming as she was slammed down over its knee. The sickening crunch of bone filled the air and she could taste the blood that filled her lungs and welled up into her mouth._

Both men sat straight up when Cathy's scream rent the air. Trowa didn't even pause to pull on a robe as he jumped over Quatre and off the bed. The adjoining door that separated them from the terrified sound slammed against the wall as the frantic former soldier ran to his sister. 

Quatre was a little more pragmatic and stopped not only to pull on his own robe, but to grab Trowa's as well. 

"Cathy! Wake up Cathy, it's just a nightmare." 

The look in his emerald eyes disturbed Quatre even more than Catherine's screaming. He hadn't seen that look since the war when Trowa had regained his memory. A look of absolute helplessness. 

"She won't wake up, Quatre." 

The screaming stopped as suddenly as it had began and the pair turned back to see that Cathy was still asleep and, from the grimace on her face, still very much caught in whatever web her dreams were weaving for her. 

_She hid behind the wagon wheel, knowing it wouldn't keep the demon from finding her, but needing the small comfort that hiding provided._

_Catherine...._

_Oh, Catherine...._

_A shudder rippled through her body as its raspy voice took on a sing song quality._

_Come out, come out wherever you are...._

_Wrapping her arms around her knees, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pretend she was somewhere else. Somewhere where the bad demon couldn't find her. _

_Catherine..._

_A whimper escaped and she clamped her hands over her ears and began rocking back and forth. Go 'way. Please just go 'way._

_Why would I want to do that?_

_It's voice was right behind her now, and her hands failed to muffle the sound any at all._

_Wasn't bad. I was a good girl. Go 'way!_

_You let them die. You should have died with them. _

_No! Wasn't my fault!_

_Really? Then why am I here? _

_Dunno. Go 'way!_

_I don't think so. _

_It ran one claw through her hair while the other slid along her arm, leaving a burning sensation in its wake. _

"Thank goodness you're here, Doctor. We've tried everything but she just won't wake up." Quatre greeted the doctor Rashid had called at the door since Trowa hadn't budged from his sister's side in the last two hours. 

He just sat there, stroking Cathy's hair while Quatre explained everything including the woman's inability to get any sleep for the last couple of weeks. In the time since they'd entered the room, there had been at least four separate nightmares, each one ending with terrified screams that were cut off abruptly as the woman moved on to another one. 

After a question and answer session was out of the way, the doctor pulled a syringe and a small bottle out of his satchel. "She'll need to go to the hospital for tests in the morning to find out what exactly is wrong, but for right now, I'll give her a stimulant that should counteract the effects of that tea you gave her." 

Trowa watched while the doctor gave his sister the shot, then glanced back at her to see if it was working. 

In a few minutes, Cathy's eyelids fluttered and she jerked awake suddenly, her entire body trembling. With a sob, she through her arms around her brother and held on tight. Silent emerald eyes met aquamarine. Whatever was going on, it had to stop. 

"I don't understand, Iria. What do you mean you couldn't find anything wrong with her?!" 

Iria Winner put a hand over her little brother's mouth. "This is a hospital Quatre! Lower your voice." Though he glared at her, he acquiesced. " Thank you. As for your question, we've run every medical test known to mankind on her. All show her to be completely normal, the very picture of health. Brain waves- normal, immune system- normal, respiratory system, cardiopulmonary systems, nerve systems, all normal. The only thing we can find wrong is that she isn't getting enough quality sleep. I don't know what else to tell you. My best suggestion would be to take her to a psychiatrist. See if it isn't something mental." 

"Okay. So she needs sleep. We already knew that. That hardly means she's going crazy." Quatre let out a frustrated sigh and leaned against the glass window of the nurse's lounge. He dreaded having to go back to the waiting room and explain to Trowa and Catherine that Iria had been unable to find a medical reason to explain away whatever was happening. He doubted that either would welcome the suggestion that Catherine was mentally unbalanced. 

"I'm not saying she is, little brother. But from listening to her description of her nightmares I'd say she's got a lot of unresolved issues dealing with her parents death. Maybe a shrink could help her work it out." The petite doctor laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's worth a try and she has nothing to lose and everything to gain." 

"I suppose so. We should probably go tell them now." 

"Hey, Heero! Wait up a second!" Heero stopped and looked into the office he was walking past. Sally Po was standing at her desk, shuffling through some papers. 

"Need something?" he asked. He hadn't seen Sally since Noin's funeral, but then, Relena's monster hunt and his usual Preventer work had kept him rather busy lately. 

"No, I just wanted to tell you that I got the results back on those samples you gave me." She frowned, still shuffling through the papers. "I know it was here somewhere," she muttered so low that he could barely hear her. "Here it is." 

He glanced over the report that she handed to him. 

"You know, I don't know where you got that sample, but I don't advise you to go near it again without some sort of toxic shielding, and you should probably have a team sent out to clean it up. That stuff has got to be the strangest mix of toxic chemicals and experimental drugs that I've ever come across. Hell, most of those compounds should even be on the same continent together, let alone in the same blob of muck." He could tell she was curious, but even he didn't know exactly where Relena had picked the slime up at. Besides, he really didn't feel like explaining that it came from some sort of monster that had frightened the princess into jumping to her death. She really would have him put under psychiatric evaluation then. 

"It was only the little bit, so I don't think it'll be a problem. Thanks." Without another word, he turned on his heel and left. He had work to finish before he could go back home and tell his visiting wraith the results. 

"Hello, my name is Dr. Robinson. Please take a seat." Cathy watched the doctor nervously. She really didn't want to be here, but both Trowa and Quatre had insisted. Neither honestly believed that she'd gone crazy, but Trowa at least, had insisted that they should try out every option they had. "Now, it's my understanding that you're not sleeping well due to some pretty severe nightmares that seem to stem from a past trauma that you've experienced and that as a result of your insomnia have become increasingly paranoid and volatile. Is my information accurate?" 

"Umm.. yeah, I guess." 

He arched one eyebrow. "It is either correct, or it is not. Please be more specific." 

Cathy groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long day. 

"I don't understand any of this, Heero. How is it going to help us locate the creature?" 

Heero, still eating a bowl of ramen, shoved another paper- one he'd been working on- towards the spirit. It had taken the better part of the afternoon, but he'd finally managed to locate the only other place on Earth that was known to have all the components that had been found in the creature's slime. 

"Sally was right about that stuff's not usually being together. But in North America there was one place that used to be an old toxic waste dump. It's a long shot, but to be honest, it's the only lead we have. Unless you've thought of something?" 

She shook her head. She'd spent the weeks since Noin's death wandering around the city. She knew that she could tell if the creature was haunting someone, but she had to actually come into contact with them. Unfortunately, she was just one ghost. There was no way she could check all the people in the city, never mind all those in the entire Earth Sphere and on the colonies. Heero was right, she thought. Checking out a long shot was better than sitting around doing nothing. 

Determined to think of something more pleasant things, she turned her attention to watching Heero eat. 

He didn't inhale his food as Duo did, nor did he savor every bite like Quatre. She had to smile. He approached eating like he did everything else- quick and efficient with little mess. She wondered idly if he made love the same way. She regretted that she'd never had the chance to find out. Though they'd been dating off and on for the better part of three years, he'd thought it was better to wait for such things until they were free to make a more firm commitment. She'd foolishly agreed. Or maybe not so foolish, she thought. How much more pained would Heero have been over her death had their connection been even closer than the one they already shared? 

"What's wrong?" His question halted her retrospection. 

"Nothing, just wishing this thing would go away and leave everyone alone," she lied, consoling herself that it wasn't completely a lie. She did wish it would go away. 

"How do we know it hasn't?" 

"I don't think it'll go away after just two victims. It doesn't think like that. From what I could tell, it wanted to do as much damage as it possibly could." Heero put down his empty bowl and moved to sit next to her. Gratefully, Relena leaned her head against his chest and lost herself in his strength. Despite the warm arms wrapped around her, she couldn't help her shudder. 

She had a feeling that they'd only seen the beginning. 

_Oh, Catherine...._

_Cathy closed her eyes and breathed as deeply as she could. This is just a dream. It's not real. I'm not afraid of you. You are not real._

_Why, Catherine... You wound me..._

_You Aren't real! she repeated over and over, never opening her eyes. After a few moments of silence, the darkness lifted and the demon vanished._

Trowa breathed in a sigh of relief as his sister slipped into an easy slumber. He'd been afraid there for a moment, that the therapy hadn't worked. With luck, she would be able to make up the sleep she missed. 

_The creature laughed to itself. It could have easily pushed passed the victim's resistance, could have shown her just how real it was._

_But this was better. This would make her all the more terrified later on. _

_Let Catherine Bloom think she'd beaten it. _

_That would make the end all the sweeter._

Catherine laughed happily as she tossed the daggers at her brother. Finally. After an enforced vacation for therapy, the ringmaster had finally let her back into the ring. She loved the spotlight, thrived in it even, and it had been tough to give it up for those couple of weeks. She hadn't protested though, because she'd known that to continue as things had been, would have been putting her brother in danger. 

I won't do that, she thought. I refuse to lose anymore people that I love. 

Though the demon still showed up in her dreams, all she had to do to banish it was to tell it she didn't fear it. So far, it had worked and sleep was coming much easier. 

Her smile was big enough to light the big top as she and Trowa took their bows. This was right. This was the way things were supposed to be. 

"I'm going to go change real quick, all right Trowa?" she called breathlessly as she ran out of the tent. Her only event tonight was the knife throw but he still had to do an acrobatic act with the lions. 

"Sure, Sis! See you after the show!" 

Her laughter rang out through the night and she did a few tumbles and flips on her way to their old trailer. Though they usually stayed with Quatre in a hotel during the nights, the rest of the time they used the trailer. It made changes and such a faster task. As for her behavior, well, she was just too happy to contain herself. Her freedom was complete! 

_Catherine..._

She ground to a sudden halt as that voice caused a chill to creep through her bones. 

"Oh no you don't!" she cried. "You're not real. Not in my dreams, and certainly not here!" 

_Oh, Catherine? You've been a bad girl... _she shuddered at the singsong voice. 

"You're not real. I'm not afraid of you!" 

_You should be..._ The voice was right behind her and she whirled around. She was at the edge of the circus grounds now and the surrounding area was completely deserted. Almost everyone was in or around the big top tent either watching the performance or getting ready for their own acts. She was completely alone. 

_Catherine...._

She whirled back around as the voice seemed to come from another direction. "Who's there? If this is somebody's sick idea of a joke, I've got to tell you, it **ISN'T FUNNY**!" she fairly screamed. 

Almost immediately the lights seemed to dim. She gave a strangled gasp as the darkness surrounded her. 

_Oh Catherine.... _

"I'm just hallucinating. This isn't real," she whispered to herself. Maybe if she kept repeating it, she would actually convince herself. Hugging her arms to her chest she turned in a slow circle trying to find whoever was messing with her. "And when I do..." Her eyes narrowed as she imagined how she was going to beat the crap out of them. 

_Looking for me, little Catherine??_

It appeared slowly. Shadows creeping towards one another, merging. Shaping itself into the demon that had so haunted her. 

She almost forgot to breath, seeing it form in front of her. 

"Oh, God," she whispered, shuddering at its raspy chuckle. 

_God cannot help you now._

"You can't be real!" 

It just continued its eerie laughter as it advanced on her. 

Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated on wishing the demon away. It's not real. It's just a figment of my imagination and when I open my eyes, it'll be gone. Right? Right... 

Unfortunately, when her eyes opened again, not only was it still there, it was right in her face. 

_Catherine..._

Almost without conscious thought, she screamed and raised one of the daggers she still held clutched in her hand. "Go away!" Over and over she stabbed the demon. 

"Cathy what the hell are you doing?!" Trowa's voice finally chased away the darkness that had surrounded her. His hands tightened painfully on her shoulders and he jerked her to the side. He was sobbing as he dropped down and clasped the fallen body to his own. 

As awareness came fully, Cathy wished with all her might that it would go away again. 

"Wh-y?" Silent tears slid down and into Quatre's hair as she gazed into his pain filled eyes. With a horrified gasp, she dropped to her knees and her gaze moved down to his bloody chest. 

Her own tears flowed freely. What had she done? 

TBC 


	7. An Interlude

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness Chapter 6

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness  
Chapter 6: An Interlude  
written by NemKess

Heero had to fight the urge to chuckle as he watched Relena mess with the soldier that was sitting in front of him on the plane. Floating above the seats, she seemed to be laying on an invisible floor with one hand holding her head up and the other hanging down so that she could ruffle the guy's hair every now and then. The low ranking Preventer would then twist and turn in his seat looking for the offender, only to meet cold Prussian eyes and be forced to turn back down.

He smirked. He could tell the other guy wanted to accuse him, but didn't dare without proof. And, of course, since it was a ghost doing it, he would never catch anyone in the act.

Levitating downwards, the spirit cocked her head sideways and stared at the young man's unseeing face for a moment. 

"Ya know what, Heero?" Not expecting an answer, she continued. "This guy should get a nose job. It doesn't at all match his face." She bopped said nose with her palm to emphasize her point. 

This, of course, had predictable and amusing results. Well, Heero thought they were amusing anyways. 

The private grabbed his nose and jumped up- going right through Relena- and swung around in a complete circle trying to find his assaulter. The look on his face was priceless. Relena's peels of laughter caused Heero to smile. It had been a while since he'd heard that sound. 

"Do you have a problem, Private?" He asked, straightening his features into the cold mask that most were used to seeing. 

"Uh.. N-no sir," the soldier stuttered. 

"Then I suggest you return to your seat." 

The apparition had moved to float next to him now and Heero was amused to note that she was holding her stomach from laughing so hard. 

"Heero," she scolded. "You shouldn't glare at him so... I mean, after all.. He did just have a close encounter!" 

He just shook his head and returned his attention back out the window. With luck, they'd arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana within the hour. From there, his contact would meet them and take them to their lodgings. He wondered at her good mood. He hadn't seen her so chipper in... Well, before this creature had made her it's victim. It seemed ages ago now. 

As his thoughts took their somber turn, he stared out the small window. 

What would happen if they actually managed to figure out how to stop this thing? Provided of course, that they even could. What happen to Relena then? Would she disappear from his life again- permanently this time? If that happened, what would happen to him? He no more wanted to face the long lonely years without her now than he had all those weeks ago when she'd stopped his suicide attempt. Actually, it was worse now. He'd spent more time with her since her death, than he ever had during her life. 

The pain would be unbearable if she left again. He considered it infinitely better to have her ghost haunt him for the rest of his life than to go on completely alone. 

On the other hand, that would be it's own unique brand of torture. Having her so close, yet so very far away. Though he could touch her sometimes, he'd seen how much concentration prolonged contact took her- and how much it took out of her. It would be a lifetime of brief contact, never being able to hold one another for too long, never making love, never having children, his aging to her eternal youth. He didn't think he could live like that either. 

"Colonel Yuy?" He pulled out of his depressing thoughts and turned to glare at the young woman who had dared to bother him. Though she looked a little nervous, she straightened back up and gestured for him to follow. "There is a Mr. Maxwell on line for you. He says it's urgent." 

Wondering what Duo could possibly want, he grunted in acknowledgement and followed the woman. A sideways glance confirmed that Relena was shadowing him, an equally curious look on her face. 

The vidphone was located in a private room at the back of the plane. He nodded in thanks to the stewardess and turned his attention to an unusually grim faced Duo. 

"What's wrong, Maxwell?" 

"I've got bad news, Heero. Quatre-" the braided man broke off and grimaced for a moment. If Heero hadn't known better, he'd have sworn that his friend was fighting to hold back tears. "Quatre's dead, man. He's dead." 

Heero ran an agitated hand through his tousled hair and shared a look with Relena. Whatever the pair had expected, this certainly wasn't it. "What do you mean, he's dead? What happened?" 

"Was it the monster?" he could hear the dread in her voice, but merely shot her a look before turning back to the screen. It wasn't his imagination this time. There really were silent tears running down Duo's cheeks. 

"I mean, dead.. As in dead, not coming back, gone to meet his maker, kicked the bucket, D-E-A-D, dead." Duo's voice had taken on a rather hysterical note by the last word. "Trowa's sister stabbed him to death." 

"Cathy?!" Prussian blue eyes widened in surprise. He remembered the circus performer very well. There was nothing about her to suggest that she was a killer, just the opposite, in fact. And if nothing else, he knew that she loved her brother. She wouldn't have done anything to hurt him, and that included killing the man he loved. "Are you sure? What kind of proof is there against her?" 

"Of course I'm sure! When Trowa found them, she was still stabbing him!" Heero buried his face in his hands. If Trowa had caught her- "What the hell is going on, Heero? First Relena, then Noin, and now Quatre? What god did we piss off that he'd take the best of us?" 

"I don't know, Duo.. I just don't know." 

"You wanna know the really crazy part? Cathy had been seeing a shrink to help her resolve her 'issues' so that she could cure some kind of insomnia problem or something. And she's swearing that she thought Quatre was some sort of monster trying to kill her." 

Both Relena and Heero froze at those words. "What did you say? A monster?" 

"Yeah. Since Quatre was a Preventer, and Trowa still is, Lady Une pulled some strings. They're going to hold the trial as soon as possible. I think the defense is going to enter a no contest plea for involuntary manslaughter and have her put into a mental institute for observation. The way she keeps babbling on about this monster, I don't think the prosecution will have any problem with that. 

"And Trowa?" 

Duo shook his head sadly. "He's put up his usual front, but you can tell he's beat up about it. Even worse than you were since it's his sister that's involved and all." There was a yell from somewhere off-screen and Duo turned away for a moment before turning back. "Look, Heero-man, I gotta go. You be careful, okay? I don't really feel like losing anymore buddies." 

"You too, Duo. You too." 

With a shaky smile that was no where near it's usual brightness, Duo nodded once and cut the connection. 

"I guess Cathy was the next victim." 

Heero nodded slowly, turning it all over in his mind. Any doubts he'd harbored about the reality of this creature were now gone. Three women with similar nightmares, three dead people. That was simply too much to be coincidence. "The question is, will it stay with her until she dies as well, or will it move on once she's locked up." 

The wraith looked on helplessly. "I don't know, Heero. I really don't have a clue." 

Reaching up to stroke one a chilly lock of hair, he sighed. "Let's just hope we find something in New Orleans. If we can figure out where this creature comes from, maybe we can figure out exactly what it wants and how to kill it." 

"What if it can't be killed?" 

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." 

"Colonel Yuy? You need to return to your seat, sir. We're aproaching New Orleans." 

"Thank you." The stewardess nodded and escorted him back to his seat. Once he was buckled in, he glanced up at Relena nad had to do a double take as he noticed how she was glaring at the other woman who had moved towards the front of the cabin. "What's wrong with you?" he whispered. 

"That woman was ogling your ass," she groused. 

Heero could only stare at her dumbfounded. 

TBC 

AN: I know there wasn't any real action in this one, but I thought everyone could use a little bit of humor. 


	8. Answers In The Bayou

The Evil Lurking in the Darkness  
Chapter 7: Answers in the Bayou  
written by NemKess

"Heero Yuy?"

Heero turned and did a double take at the raven haired beauty that had called his name. And promptly winced as an irritated ghost jabbed him in the side. The glare Relena leveled at him clearly showed how little she appreciated him ogling the other woman.

"Hello, Mr. Yuy," she said in what Heero could only assume was a Cajun accent. "My name is Peygan and I was asked to meet you by a Miss Une."

"Pagan?" 

"Pey-gan," she pronounced with a smile. "Come, we must reach the house before dark or Mamma Lucille will be worried." The slim woman led him out of the airport and to a waiting truck. He tossed his bag into the back and crawled into the passenger seat while Peygan went around to the driver's side. Once they were seated and belted in, she turned the ignition and the truck roared into life. Heero winced at the loud noise; he didn't think even his gundam had been **that **loud. "When we reach the bayou, we'll have to take a pirogue to get to the house." 

"I thought Lady Une booked a room here in New Orleans." In fact, he knew she had because he'd been standing there while she did it. 

Peygan just nodded and concentrated on weaving her way through the heavy traffic. "She did. But once Mamma Lucille found out what you were interested in, she insisted on you staying at the plantation." 

Heero shot her a suspicious glance. "Why?" 

Dark green eyes glanced his way only momentarily before turning back to the road. "When someone is asking about the Rêve Chasseur(1), it means bad news for everyone." 

"So that's what it's called," Relena murmured softly from where she sat beside him. "How appropriate." 

"What-"

She gestured for him to remain quiet. "Be patient. Mamma Lucille will answer all your questions, and much more thoroughly than I could anyways."

Relena sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. Finally. It looked like they might finally get the answers they so desperately needed.

Her first thought on 'Mamma Lucille' was to wonder how on earth someone so old could be so... spry. The woman looked, not to be cliché or anything, but she looked older than dirt, and yet she'd practically flown out to greet them as the two weary travelers and their tag along ghost finally began the final trek up the path towards the house. 

Her second thought was one of pure astonishment as the old woman turned, stared directly at her and bobbed in greeting. "Hello, chère."

Heero's own eyes widened in surprise and he glanced between the older woman and Lena. "You can **see** her?!"

Beady eyes filled with mirth for a moment and Lucille cackled. "No, no... Can't see her, can't hear her. Can only feel her presence. Come, come. An evil wind is brewing this night and it would be best if we were inside before it strikes us."

The group had barely made it through the door before the heavens seemed to open up and the heavy rain fell. Relena jumped and clutched at Heero's arm as a crack of thunder echoed through the air. 

She chided herself harshly. She was already dead, what more could a little thunder storm do to her?

For some reason, that wasn't very comforting, nor did it keep her from pressing as closely to his side as she could as lightening touched down somewhere nearby and the crash of an exploding tree could be heard over the roaring of the falling rain.

"Peygan will show you to your room. You can freshen up for dinner there. We'll be having crawdad jambalaya," Mamma Lucille said as she gestured for them to follow the younger woman up the stairs. 

"Yeah, and Mamma Lucille makes the best jambalaya this side of the Mississippi!" Peygan announced over her shoulder. "Come this way, a room has been prepared for you on the second floor. 

Heero had only made it a few steps up before he was stopped again.

"And then, Mr. Yuy, after we have eaten, then I will answer all your questions about the Rêve Chasseur."

Turning to look back, he caught the absolute seriousness in the woman's expression. Shaking off a small sliver of fear, he turned back to trod up the stairs to his room. 

Trowa sat completely still in the emptied courtroom. The silence would have been oppressive to anyone else, but he was grateful for it. It was a far cry from the pandemonium that had reined earlier.

Catherine's case had not only been put to trial quickly, it had been decided on with just as much speed. Really, it had been a pretty much open and shut case. The circus performer had never even denied that she was guilty. She hadn't stopped crying since she'd realized what she'd done.

Emerald eyes squeezed shut, but a tear escaped anyways. He could still hear her anguished voice as she'd sworn, over and over, that she'd thought Quatre was a monster come to kill her. She'd begged his forgiveness.

Swiping a hand over his face to clear away the wetness, Trowa opened his eyes and stared down at his hands bleakly.

He didn't know what to think or do.

On the one hand, she was his sister. His only living relative and one of the few people in the entire solar system that he loved. And somewhere inside his heart, he knew that she hadn't killed Quatre on purpose. Whatever had driven her so far over the edge, the sweet blonde had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On the other hand, she'd killed his one true love. Corny as it might sound, he'd always believed that he and Quatre were soul mates. Two halves of a whole that could never be complete without each other. He wasn't entirely sure he could function without the person that had become such an integral part of his life. And sister or not, he hated her for that.

_Why?_

A shudder rippled through his body as he recalled the final question that had passed his lover's lips. An image of a soft bloodied hand and pain filled eyes was forever chiseled on his mind's eye and he knew it would never go away.

"Trowa?" He looked up to see a concerned Lady Une hovering over him. His feeble attempt at a reassuring smile came out looking more like a grimace. But she understood. It had been hard on them all. It hadn't helped that the trial had been the afternoon after the funeral. The third such funeral for the old friends. But it couldn't have been helped. "Will you be all right?"

Trowa just sighed and looked back towards the witness stand. 

Would he be all right? Probably not. But it wasn't the first time that the world had jerked the rug out from under his feet and he'd survive. He always did, whether he wanted to or not.

Rather than answer her question, he changed the subject. "Do you know what her sentence was? I.... sort of blanked that part out."

Sitting next to him, she crossed her legs and followed his gaze. "Yes. She will be sent to a hospital for the criminally insane. With luck, and a lot of good therapy, she might only be there for a few years."

Leaning forward, the young man finally let his tears flow.

What was he supposed to do now?

Heero glanced at his hostesses out of the corner of his eye as he took another bite. Although he would probably never know if it truly was the 'best this side of the Mississippi', it was certainly good enough for him. A little spicy, but a lot better than what he'd had during his days with Dr. J.

His gaze turned sympathetic as he took in the longing on Relena's face as she watched him eat.

He'd never really stopped to think about how **she **felt about all this ghost business. But what was he supposed to do? Offer her a bite? 

Shaking his head over his wandering thoughts, he turned his attention back to Mamma Lucille. The old woman had finished her own plate and sat watching him, her chin resting lightly on her clasped hands. Their gaze held for a moment before he pushed his plate away. He wanted to get this over with. The sooner he and Relena knew what they were dealing with, the sooner they could stop this monster from killing anymore of their friends. 

Peygan stood and cleared the table, batting at Heero's hands as he moved to help. "Sit down, Mr. Yuy. you are a guest in our home and guests don't do housework." 

Though reluctant, he sat back down and glared at Relena as she laughed at the reprimand. She held his gaze and continued to chuckle, not the least bit repentant. His own lips twitched in answer to the seldom heard sound of her amusement. Kami-sama knew she'd had little enough to laugh at in the last few months. 

"The Rêve Chasseur is, in simplest terms, a living nightmare. It is a creature that relishes fear. The most horrific dream you can imagine is like candy to it."

Heero frowned and nodded his head as he interrupted. "We know that, we'd figured that much out. Where did it come from? Can it be killed? Or at least stopped? Why is it attacking my friends?"

A cold draft blew through the room causing the lantern flames to flutter and flicker and eerie shadows to chase one another across the walls. But nothing distracted his single minded focus from the woman at the head of the table.

"Let me tell you a story, Mr. Yuy. A story that began hundreds of years ago." Her voice dropped into a more reverent tone and her expression was that of someone lost in their memories. "Long before there were space colonies, when mankind was still stuck on the Earth, this was called the United States of America. Like any other country at the time, it had research centers devoted to alternative warfare. Biological, chemical, nuclear, you name it and someone was probably studying it. The idea was that if a third world country, or even if one of the other superpowers of the era, were to start a new war, the US had to be prepared. One of those research facilities was here, in this bayou. There were stories of animal cruelty, or human test subjects, of diseases and poisons so lethal they could kill a man in seconds, and others that were slow and insidious. Every now and then, some hot shot lawyer would find enough evidence to drag them to court, but no one was ever convicted and they went about business as usual." She paused for a moment and took a sip of her wine, letting the thoughts and images settle in their minds. "Then one day, one of their own scientists decided that enough was enough. She agreed to turn states witness and bring the whole place down. Unfortunately for her, there were far too many people in very high places that had vested interests in it. She never made it to witness protection. Now, this is where the story gets sketchy, where fact and fiction becomes jumbled. All that was ever proven was that she disappeared. Two years later, there was an accident at the center; at least half the staff there were killed and it was closed and barred from curious eyes."

"So you're saying that this woman somehow created this monster and caused the accident?" 

"No, Mr. Yuy, I'm saying nothing of the sort. The cause of the accident was never known, or if it was, they hid it well. Either way, I don't know those particular answers. It doesn't really matter. In the year following the accident, all the surviving staff became victims of debilitating nightmares. A few of them committed suicide, others had to be institutionalized. Most of them simply died of heart attacks." She paused and murmured a quiet thank you to Peygan as the younger woman returned and refilled her wine glass before taking a seat.

"What caused it?" This was finally starting to turn into the explanation that he needed.

"No one could explain it, but once it was decided that it was only the center staff, no one bothered to look further." She noticed the disgusted look on his face and smiled softly. " This is a superstitious area, always has been, always will be. No one wanted to attract whatever revenant(2) were haunting the others."

"So it's a ghost? A spirit like Relena." 

His companion shuddered at being compared to that _thing._

"No, Mr. Yuy. It's not really a revenant. It's said that the young scientist that stepped forward was taken back to the center after they took her. That they used her as a subject for tests too horrible to contemplate. Over those two years before the accident she went mad. It's even believed that the researchers somehow managed to separate her soul from her corporal form. Not a ghost, because she's not really dead and yet, not a living human creature because anything left of her body has long since been mutated and changed. Of course, the only ones who knew the truth are long since dead."

Heero scratched his head for a second as he tried to sort it all out, but it just didn't add up to him. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I understand. If her soul left her body, then she's dead."

"Usually, but not in this case. You see, it wasn't her entire spirit that was taken away. All humans are constantly fighting a battle between their good and evil halves. Your soul is all that's good in you. Take that away and your left with only the inner demon. All the hate and wickedness and viciousness that a human heart can possess."

"Heero, ask her how it gets into the dreams.. I mean, it was like this thing, this woman or whatever, was physically there. How could she do that if she's really just a decayed body stuck in this swamp?" Relena was pressed close now, close enough that he could feel the chill of her against his back as she leaned against him.

"Relena wants to know how it gets into the dreams." He felt kind of odd, being the go between here, but knew it was necessary. 

"I'm not entirely certain. I think that the woman was telepathic somehow, either something she was born with or something they managed to accidentally giver her during the experiments. Somehow, once the body is close enough to the victim, she can project herself into the dreamscape. I suspect the how is something only the Rêve Chasseur can answer."

"But if this thing stopped killing hundreds of years ago, why is it back now? Why did it seek out Relena?" 

Her head shook sadly. "It didn't stop killing for good, Mr. Yuy. Every few years it wakes up for some reason or another, usually when someone or something disturbs it's sleep, and begins a new reign of terror. I told you, it thrives on the fear it causes. It could no more stop than a long time drug addict could. I guess she just got a taste for it, all those years ago and now keeps coming back for more. As to why your friend was the first victim this time, I must confess to being at a loss. Usually it stays in this area. There are fairly good records at the public library about the phenomenon and each death or case of insanity that's been attributed to it. Did your friend make any visits to New Orleans in the months before she died?"

Heero glanced at Relena as she gasped and clutched one hand over her mouth. Both eyes were rounded and he had to wonder if she'd have fainted if she'd been alive.

"Yes! My jet stopped there for refueling about a week before the nightmares began. We were here for a while so I got out and walked around sightseeing for a few hours. But I swear I never went near the bayou!"

Mamma Lucille clucked her tongue chidingly as Heero relayed that. "Doesn't matter, it's not confined to the bayou, or even New Orleans. It just chooses to stay in the area usually. Doesn't mean it can't travel elsewhere."

"Is there any way to kill it?"

"I don't know. No ones ever tried."

"Then how was it stopped before?" That was the biggie. They needed to know how their predecessors had dealt with it.

"It wasn't. It just stopped on it's own. Went back to sleep. There are gris-gris (3)and other such things one can get for protection. Of course, you have to believe in it or it doesn't do any good." 

Her voice trailed off as Heero shook his head. No, they couldn't wait for this thing to stop on it's own and if they tried to give anyone protection amulets, he'd get thrown in the loony bin faster than his head could spin. He needed to find a way to stop it himself. And for good this time. He never wanted anyone else to go through what he and Relena were going through, what their friends were going through.

"Is there any way I can get in to see this research center? Or what's left of it anyways?" Maybe he could find something there, some clue that might show him how to kill it.

Though she looked somewhat dubious, she must have realized that he was serious and would try to with or without her help. She looked at her granddaughter for a long moment before nodding. "Peygan can show you the way tomorrow, but I won't allow her to actually enter the place. What you risk in your own life it your own business, but great evil still rests there, even with the Dream Stalker occupied elsewhere and I won't have her exposed to it." With a sigh, she pushed herself up out of her chair, smiling faintly as Peygan moved to help her. "I'm getting old, that I am, eh mon enfant? It's time I went and gave these weary old bones a rest and I suggest that you two do the same. You'll need your strength if you're going to tackle that evil energy tomorrow."

She moved much more slowly now than she had before. It was almost as if the telling of the story had literally sapped out all of her strength. Heero let her get all the way to the door before he asked one last question, the one that had been bugging him since he'd turned around in Relena's garden that morning to find her spirit watching him.

"Why did Relena stay behind after she died and why am I the only one who can see her?"

The old woman stopped and stared into the shadowy corners of the room before turning to meet his gaze. "A spirit stays for various reasons. Some because the violent nature of their deaths won't allow them to move on, some because they're caught in limbo, with neither heaven nor hell granting access. Most often, their final thought is what holds them. They feel that there's something left that they haven't finished, someone that they can't leave. And so, they don't. As for why you can see her? Your souls are so intertwined that even I can see it."

That parting shot was delivered with an amused tone as she turned and allowed Peygan to help her up the stairs.

Heero was barely aware that she'd left as he pondered that. 

The chilled arms of the wraith in question slipped back around his waist and he felt her chin resting on his shoulder, something that she hadn't been able to do when she'd been alive and several inches shorter than he.

"You." she whispered. "I was thinking about you."

TBC

1)Rêve Chasseur- Dream Hunter

2)revenant- ghost/spirit

3)gris gris- protective charms and spells


End file.
